Elliot Silverstein
Encyclopedia
Elliot Silverstein, born in Boston
, Massachusetts
, USA, on August 3, 1927, is best known for being the director of the movie Cat Ballou
.
The other Silverstein films, in chronological order, are The Happening, A Man Called Horse
, Nightmare Honeymoon, The Car
, and Flashfire.
Other work included writing for the television shows The Twilight Zone
, The Nurses
, Picket Fences
, and Tales from the Crypt
.
While Silverstein was not a prolific director, his films were often decorated. "Cat Ballou", for instance, earned one Oscar and was nominated for four more. His high quality work was rewarded in 1990 with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Director's Guild of America.
, he won the Youth Film Award - Honorable Mention, in the category of Best Feature Film Suitable for Young People for Cat Ballou.
He was also nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear.
In 1966, he was nominated for the DGA Award in the category for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures(Cat Ballou).
In 1971, he won the Bronze Wrangler
award at the Western Heritage
Awards in the category of Theatrical Motion Picture for A Man Called Horse, along with producer Sandy Howard
, writer Jack DeWitt, and actors Judith Anderson
, Jean Gascon
, Corinna Tsopei
and Richard Harris
.
In 1985, he won the Robert B. Aldrich Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of America
.
In 1990, he was awarded the DGA Honorary Life Member Award.
.
He currently lives in Studio City, California. Actively retired, Silverstein has taught film at USC, California and continues to work on screen plays and other projects.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, USA, on August 3, 1927, is best known for being the director of the movie Cat Ballou
Cat Ballou
Cat Ballou is a 1965 comedy/Western film which tells the story of a woman who hires a famous gunman to protect her father's ranch, and later to avenge his murder, but finds that the man she hires is not what she expected...
.
Career
Elliot Silverstein was the director of six feature films in the mid-twentieth century. The most famous of these by far is "Cat Ballou", a comedy-western starring Jane Fonda.The other Silverstein films, in chronological order, are The Happening, A Man Called Horse
A Man Called Horse (1970 film)
A Man Called Horse is a 1970 American Western film starring Richard Harris and directed by Elliot Silverstein.-Plot:The film is based on a short story, "A Man Called Horse", published in 1968 in the book Indian Country by Dorothy M. Johnson...
, Nightmare Honeymoon, The Car
The Car
The Car is a 1977 thriller/horror film directed by Elliot Silverstein and written by Michael Butler, Dennis Shryack and Lane Slate. The film stars James Brolin, Kathleen Lloyd, John Marley, and Ronny Cox, and tells the story of a mysterious car which goes on a murderous rampage, terrorizing the...
, and Flashfire.
Other work included writing for the television shows The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
, The Nurses
The Nurses
The Nurses is a soap opera that aired on ABC from September 27, 1965 to March 31, 1967. The show was a continuation of a serialized primetime drama which aired on CBS originally called The Nurses when it premiered in 1962, later called The Doctors and the Nurses.The setting was Alden General...
, Picket Fences
Picket Fences
Picket Fences is a 60-minute American television drama about the residents of the fictional town of Rome, Wisconsin, created and produced by David E. Kelley. The show initially ran from September 18, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on the CBS television network in the United States...
, and Tales from the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt (TV series)
Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an American horror anthology television series that ran from 1989 to 1996 on the premium cable channel HBO...
.
While Silverstein was not a prolific director, his films were often decorated. "Cat Ballou", for instance, earned one Oscar and was nominated for four more. His high quality work was rewarded in 1990 with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Director's Guild of America.
Awards
In 1965, at the 15th Berlin International Film Festival15th Berlin International Film Festival
The 15th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 25 to July 6, 1965.-Jury:* John Gillett * Alexander Kluge* Ely Azeredo* Monique Berger* Kyushiro Kusakabe* Jerry Bresler* Karena Niehoff* Hans Jürgen Pohland...
, he won the Youth Film Award - Honorable Mention, in the category of Best Feature Film Suitable for Young People for Cat Ballou.
He was also nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear.
In 1966, he was nominated for the DGA Award in the category for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures(Cat Ballou).
In 1971, he won the Bronze Wrangler
Bronze Wrangler
The Bronze Wrangler is an award presented annually by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to honor the top works in Western music, film, television and literature.The awards were first presented in 1961...
award at the Western Heritage
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of American rodeo, photographs, barbed wire, saddlery, and early rodeo trophies...
Awards in the category of Theatrical Motion Picture for A Man Called Horse, along with producer Sandy Howard
Sandy Howard
Sandy Howard was an American film producer and television producer. A native of the Bronx, New York City, Howard wrote short stories for publication in magazines like Liberty, and worked as a publicist for Broadway shows until he became a director for the Howdy Doody show at the age of nineteen;...
, writer Jack DeWitt, and actors Judith Anderson
Judith Anderson
Dame Judith Anderson, AC, DBE was an Australian-born American-based actress of stage, film and television. She won two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award and was also nominated for a Grammy Award and an Academy Award.-Early life:...
, Jean Gascon
Jean Gascon
Jean Gascon, was a Canadian opera director, actor, and administrator.From 1968 to 1974, he was the artistic director of the Stratford Festival of Canada.-Honours:...
, Corinna Tsopei
Corinna Tsopei
Kiriaki "Corinna" Tsopei is a beauty pageant winner and actress. In 1964, Tsopei became the first Greek winner of the Miss Universe pageant.-Career:...
and Richard Harris
Richard Harris
Richard St John Harris was an Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer....
.
In 1985, he won the Robert B. Aldrich Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry...
.
In 1990, he was awarded the DGA Honorary Life Member Award.
Personal life
Silverstein has been married three times, each ending in divorce. His first marriage was to Evelyn Ward, and his second to Alana King. In the course of his first marriage he became the step-father of David CassidyDavid Cassidy
David Bruce Cassidy is an American actor, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his role as the character of Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical/sitcom The Partridge Family. He was one of pop culture's most celebrated teen idols, enjoying a successful pop career in the 1970s, and...
.
He currently lives in Studio City, California. Actively retired, Silverstein has taught film at USC, California and continues to work on screen plays and other projects.